Vehicles of the station wagon or hatch back type include a cargo area of sufficient size to permit users to transport many various types of items. In today's society, consumers are increasingly cost conscious and therefore are more aware of performing home improvement tasks themselves, and in general, are transporting materials of various types in their own vehicles.
However, many types of such materials or equipment are of a nature that restricts or inhibits their transport without causing damage or stains to the interior of the cargo space. Or they may result in unsightly and difficult to remove accumulations of dirt.
A few such materials would include firewood, ice, rock or stones, raw produce, soil, peat moss, fertilizer, tools or small equipment and the like, as well as any other material that is wet or dirty.
Further, the public's dependence upon vehicular travel for vacations or recreation has always made additional storage space a valuable asset for a vehicle.
Luggage racks have therefore been a relatively popular accessory, however, typically they are limited to storage of items that withstand rain or snow without some form of cover which is cumbersome and less than satisfactorily reliable to provide the desired protection against the elements.
Prior to the present invention, there has been no article which offers a simple, relatively inexpensive solution to either of these problems, much less a solution which offers a single accessory item which is capable of such dual performance in alternative configurations as needed.